Welcome hobby enthusiast to Dedicated Scale Enthusiast Magazine. We are so proud to get this opportunity to do this magazine for not only ourselves but for the entire hobby. Its been many years since the hobby has had a new publication magazine on the market. In the hobby today, there are so many changes for the better, the levels of scale building has advanced tremendously and even though the internet helped the spread of technology. We feel that the public thirst for something else. So, we hope to bring back the old school feel of the LRB days. What we call the glory days of the hobby. When the innovators of today were at the forefronts of the industry. For without the innovators, the hobby may not be at the level it is now. 

    David Bayon and I ( Willie Ramirez jr) were talking one day, and the subject of doing our own magazine came up in the conversation. Little did we know that we both had the dream of having our own publication. The problem was, we both lacked the skill or knowledge on how to do it. Turns out that I have strength in photography and writing skills and some general knowledge in marketing. And David's strength is in the business and marketing and design work. So our abilities are a good marriage to possibly pull this off. We tossed around ideas for about a year, discussion on content, and other possibilities for the magazine. Mid-year in 2018 we finally jumped in on this venture. So the journey begins! 

    One of the first tasks was to come up with the magazine name. Originally we were going to name it Innovators of the Hobby, but that seemed to be more centralized on the specific type of builders. We shot ideas back and forth! Not really sure but we both think it was Jorge "Mazdat" Ramirez that suggested the name. We liked the name but it still needed to be a more widespread meaning. With that in mind, we came up with: Dedicated Scale Enthusiast Magazine. David and I are dedicated builders and creators in the hobby. It's also a way for us to give back to the model community. This magazine is Dedicated to all of you. Builders and creators of the number one hobby. We plan on trying to bring the feel of the LRB days, but not only focus on the OG builder. We will touch base on the younger generation as well. The OG guys are the Innovators, but the younger generation is the future of the hobby. All genre of builds will be featured. Lowrider, custom, tuners, euro, hopper and many more. We will do show coverage, exclusive stuff that has never been viewed on any social media. Stuff that will be first seen here. There will be a section in the magazine called: Dedicated Sketch Pad! Artists will be able to submit their artwork to the magazine to get a chance to be featured. As long as the artwork is car-oriented. Just like the Lowrider bike used to be. We are really excited on the many ideas we have, and hope you will enjoy it. With that said let me introduce the staff of Dedicated. 

    David Bayon, aka Detail Junkees. Lives in the great state of Texas. At a young age, his late big brother got him started building models. He stayed with it through high school doing lowriders, building hoppers and all that in the 90's.  Rediscovered the hobby after starting a family as a way to keep himself out of trouble.  Quickly found some like-minded locals who had also just got back into the hobby and formed Los Underground Kingz MCC.  Since then, he just hasn't stopped building.  Created multiple product lines under the Detail Junkees brand. Found himself leading the club and becoming the president of LUGK.  He also formed the Plastic Society which hosts meetings for all local builders as well as organizes and hosts contests.  Build styles have evolved from lowriding, pro touring, imports, bagged patina, dioramas and back to lowriders. David is a man of many talents, and I am happy and fortunate to be able to have this opportunity. 

   Armando Avila. Most of you know this OG builder of the iconic rides such as Joe Ray's Vegas car and many more. Initially, we asked if would just be a consultant and possibly a logo designer. Which he agreed. But his real talent is writing. He worked as a writer, consultant, editor and many other tasks at the famous Lowrider Magazine. We asked him to join us on this journey as a writer. And the rest will be history. Armando brings that lowrider flavor to his writing and is so familiar with the Latino movement. We are honored to have him on board! 

   Angelo Lopez is the youngest on the staff. But such a knowledgeable person as well in the Lowrider, BMX, bombs, custom fields. He is currently the staff photographer for Bombs Magazine. He is close friends with the owner of the magazine Steve Caudillo. So when Steve started the magazine Angelo was the first photographer hired on the staff. Right there says a lot for this talented young photographer. 

    Besides Bombs Magazine, Angelo has been published in the following: 

 Bombs magazine, Pinup Kulture magazine, Glasshouse edition magazine, Latina pinups magazine, Delicious dolls magazine, Kultur magazine, Garters and grills magazine, Xpressions magazine, Originals magazine and Jelly baby magazine. Pretty impressive resume. And we are happy to have him as our staff photographer. 

   As for myself, Willie Ramirez Jr. I was born and raised in California. My father introduced me to model car building at the young age of 10. He was also a 1:1 Scale car enthusiast. He always had classic cars, which he would buy and sell over the years. So for me, it was a great way to learn about the automotive industry. Building models has come in and out of my whole life. But over the last 25 years, I've become deeply involved in the hobby. I am a member of DOWN 2 SCALE. In the 90s I wasn't a member but I always associated with them and felt drawn to them as friends. In 2008 the club reunited and then I was asked to join. Being a member has given me so much joy. And I have created a bond with my members that will never be broken. It's an honor to be a part of this association. The one thing that has always been a constant in my life, has been photography. I studied it in college and In the early years, I did mostly black n white. I was the staff photographer for the NSFS saints football team, done weddings and various other work as well. It has alway been a dream for me to become a photographer for a magazine or write for one. Never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would be apart of my our own publication. I am a true believer that people in our lives are here for a reason. And in this case, it's true. If it wasn't for David Bayon and the rest of the staff and all the support from the model community I would never have this opportunity. So thank you David and all of you for the chance to give back to the hobby we love. Enjoy the ride! 

                    

                Thank you, Willie Jr.